The Meade Pyramid is the largest Civil War memorial in Spotsylvania County. Erected in 1903, the monument is 23 feet high.

By DONNA CHASEN

Date published: 1/29/2003

At the end of Robert E. Lee Drive in the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park sits a solitary monument in a field beyond the railroad tracks. This mysterious memorial is known as the Meade Pyramid. A hike through the battlefield, over the tracks and across the field to view this structure close up is well worth the effort.

The Meade Pyramid is the largest Civil War memorial in Spotsylvania County. It is 23 feet high and 30 feet square and is built of random-coursed, unhewn granite stones.

The monument was erected in 1903 by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad on behalf of the Confederate Memorial Literary Society. Planning for the pyramid actually began in 1897. In 1898, the RF&P hauled 17 carloads of Virginia granite to the site to build the pyramid, which was modeled after the 90-foot-high stone pyramid honoring the Confederate dead in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.

Originally, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society planned to place wooden markers along the tracks to enlighten rail passengers about the Hamilton's Crossing area's historic importance as a battlefield site. The president of the RF&P at that time, Edmund T.D. Myers, a former Confederate major and an engineer, opposed this idea, feeling that it would "look too much like advertising." He felt that a monument such as the pyramid would be a much more appropriate and lasting memorial.

The pyramid marks the only major battle site along the rails, which span the 74 miles of pre-Civil War track between Richmond and Aquia Creek in Stafford County.

The Literary Society originally wanted the pyramid to memorialize the headquarters of Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson during 1862 and 1863. However, Gen. Jackson's headquarters were not alongside the tracks, where the pyramid stands, but almost two miles away.

The pyramid actually stands on the site where, on Dec. 13, 1862, Union Gen. George Meade and his Pennsylvania troops charged across the tracks to battle Gen. Jackson's lines. This move proved disastrous for Meade's men. His 3rd Division suffered more than 40 percent casualties, with 1,853 Union soldiers killed, wounded, missing or captured. The pyramid today stands where Gen. Meade's left flank approached the railroad.

In 1927, the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park was established and a road was built to enable visitors to visit the lower end of the battlefield site, which earlier had been available only to hikers or railroad passengers. This new road brought the pyramid to the attention of the general public. The pyramid and its half-acre of land were officially transferred from the Literary Society to the Park Service in 1953, incorporating it into the surrounding battlefield.

Today, the site is marked by a simple sign that reads: "A Southern Memorial." The view from the park road shows the pyramid surrounded by basically the same landscape that soldiers experienced in battle so long ago.

Donna Chasen is a member of the board of directors of Spotsylvania Preservation Foundation Inc.

Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 1/29/2003